Credit: Scott Wallace
Although there has been no official announcement, rumblings from political insiders indicate that a third Democrat will soon be entering the primary election race for the Eighth Congressional District.
The man who both Democrats and Republicans are buzzing about is millionaire Henry Scott Wallace, who goes by just Scott Wallace.
The well-traveled Wallace, according to numerous political insiders, is expected to enter the race in the coming weeks. He would join fellow Democrats Rachel Reddick and Steve Bacher in the race for the party nomination.
Wallace told NewtownPANow.com that he is expecting to make a final decision on whether he will run in the next few weeks.
The 66-year-old appears to take political cues from his paternal grandfather, Henry A. Wallace, who served as Secretary of Agriculture, vice president for Franklin D. Roosevelt during his third term and later as Secretary of Commerce. His grandfather’s own father was Secretary of Agriculture under two presidents and died of a heart attack while in office.
On the website Patriotic Millionaires, Wallace talked about his family history in politics and notes his grandfather helped to construct key pieces of the New Deal. He notes his grandfather’s efforts to rebuilt the farm economy, create social welfare programs and even help design Social Security.
“As a young lawyer, I clerked in federal district court, helping to administer justice on issues ranging from environmental enforcement to corporate malfeasance, to sex discrimination and criminal law. Then I worked in the U.S. Senate, for the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee — with jurisdiction over essential programs like patents, immigration, and the courts, corrections and juvenile justice systems. I worked as a Senator’s aide , dealing with budget and appropriations across the entire federal government, which forces you to understand the value of what each agency and department actually does, to advise your boss on the merits of increasing or decreasing their funding,” Wallace wrote on the website.
Several Bucks County Democrats have said that Wallace stands to position himself as a progressive candidate in the age of President Donald Trump. He brings with him a large network of contacts, funds and he has previous campaign experience supporting Barack Obama and progressive causes.
Wallace spoke with WHYY about the possible race and acknowledged that he would self-finance much of his own campaign.
While Wallace has roots in the Eighth Congressional District and said he lives in the Doylestown-area home where he was born, Republican insiders said Wallace previous has lived elsewhere and used an address in Maryland within the past two years. The fact is something Republicans will likely use against the possible candidate if he drops his hat in the ring.
Wallace is retired but serves as co-chair of the Wallace Global Fund, a foundation funded by profits from a hybrid corporation.
Publisher Tom Sofield contributed to this article.
